DRINK WATER: the human body shifts large volumes of body water and dumps some of it to help with short-term adjustments to altitude. Give your body water to work with and to cope with losses into the very dry air. If you start to get a pounding, hangover type headache, drink three or four cups of plain water; it often works in 4-5 minutes.
LEARN HOW TO BREATHE: take slow, even breaths.
MOVE SLOWLY: always pace yourself at the summit. Sit down. Use the chairs that are available. Don’t stand for long periods of time.
STAY RESTED: avoid exhausting tasks/fun and short sleep the day before you are scheduled for a trip to the summit. This provides more cardio-respiratory reserves for adjustment to altitude stress.
AVOID ALCOHOL for at least 10 hours prior to ascent. This avoids dehydration and irritation of the arteries of the brain that will be forced to adjust to hypoxia.
AVOID MARIJUANA: it stays with an individual for several days and can be an unpredictable, extremely potent constrictive agent for the coronary arteries. It has caused sudden death by unpredictably shutting off the blood supply in the hearts of even young, healthy people without warning.
AVOID TOBACCO SMOKING: nicotine constricts arteries and further inhibits adjustments to the need for increased blood flow.
AVOID HEAVY MEALS before ascent to the summit, since this tends to tie up a significant part of the available blood flow for longer than light meals (of high-carbohydrate items such as pasta, rice, or other starch). Avoid skipping meals or eating or drinking nothing but sugared snacks or drinks; sharp changes in blood sugar can trigger increased altitude stress.
AVOID UNPROTECTED EYE EXPOSURE to glare and bright sunlight by wearing dark lenses, preferably UV-coated lenses. This reduces fatigue and will prevent the loss of 50% of night vision for up to two nights after glare exposure of only 1 hour. It also blocks out the significantly greater ultraviolet exposure that Hawaii;s ideal astronomical conditions permit, possibly leading to early cataracts. You may wish to wear sunscreen, as the sun can burn even in cold temperatures.
Excerpted from: "High Altitude Safety Protocol", by Mountain Medical Services
Kalena Quinones | November 1, 2000